The present invention relates to a folding discharge chute for a rotary snow blower attachment for various prime movers, for example, a skid steer loader. The snow blower includes a feed auger, and an impeller that will project snow upwardly through a chute to a high loading level. The chute includes an upper section that is held in place during use, and when in storage, is folded so that the upper end of the upper section points downwardly from its hinged point and is supported on an upper edge of the snow blower housing.
Various rotary snow blowers have been advanced in the past. These include attachments that go on the front end of skid steer loaders, and which have feed augers that will engage the snow and move it in toward a central impeller that discharges the snow upwardly through an output chute. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,813 shows a snow blower that has a chute that is adjustable for adjusting the positions of the discharge.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,084 also shows a conventional rotary snow blower, which has a discharge chute that includes an upper end that is adjustable for directing the snow in a particular path.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,452 discloses an apparatus for snow removal that has a discharge chute that is hinged in the center, so that it can be folded down. It is a laterally extending chute, and when folded, projects laterally from the housing a substantial amount. In addition, it is not supported on the housing when folded. The folding section is operated with a hydraulic actuator, but the specification does mention that a fixed support can be used in place of the hydraulic actuator.
Bobcat Company, a business unit of Ingersoll-Rand Company, of Gwinner, N.Dak., has sold a snow blower attachment for its skid steer loaders for several years.
The need for high discharge chutes has increased, particularly where snow is to be loaded into a truck, and moving it from place to place can be a problem with low clearance overhead structures. Also, storing the snow blower attachment during the summer time and when not in use means that the tall chutes have to be accommodated in some manner. The present invention relates to a folding chute that has an upper section that will fold down to reduce the overall height of the snow blower attachment, and thus make transport and storage easier.